I enjoyed this true life story so much I bought a copy for our grand children. It is inspirational, I would like to see it on the reading list for middle schools everywhere. When young people are motivated, encouraged and supported, they can and many times will do amazing things. To struggle through some difficult circumstances, have some expected support and some un-expected opposition and to achieve their goals was a great story. The relationship between Homer and his father will be related to by many. One page will have you laughing and the next will have you in tears.
I loved it.

If you were born in the 40s as I was, in New York, reading this book will take you back to the time you 'heard' about the coaltowns in West Virginia. This story will match your memories ... not to mention your memories of the era it represents. I LOVED it!

escape via rocket, October 6, 2008
By V. N. Dvornychenko (Rockville, MD) - See all my reviews


Part "Angela's Ashes" (Frank McCourt) and part "I Aim for the Stars" (Werner von Braun), this book chronicles the efforts of a teenage boy to escape the confines of his West Virginia coal-mining milieu. Fourteen-year-old Homer/Sonny Hickam (the protagonist and author) is determined not to follow in the footsteps of his coalminer father - who is already showing signs of black-lung disease, a disease which will eventually kill him.

Homer/Sonny has an older brother, of whom he is very resentful. Among his brother's "sins" are ease with the girls, success at high school football - and most of all - favor with the parents. Normally there are only two paths for escape from Coalwood: the military, or a football scholarship.
The brother, Jim, holds a strong suit in the football option. Homer, slightly built and very nearsighted, knows he has no chance at footfall - and, so it would appear, with the girls. Then a miracle happens.

The "miracle" that provides a third avenue of escape is the launching of Sputnik by the USSR. The shockwaves produced by this event change American values almost overnight. Intellectual "nerds" suddenly become fashionable. Homer hatches a plan which he hopes will eventually land a job designing rockets for Werner von Braun. The plan is to design, build and launch model rockets. Homer collects a circle of followers - mainly other "nerds" -- and together they put the plan into action.

Besides the shockwaves produced by Sputnik, another kind of fault line runs right through the Hickam household. On one side stand Homer with his mother, on the other his father and brother. A major reason for the fault line is that the mother does not wish to see her sons follow the fate of her husband. But that is not all; it appears the mother has certain misgivings about her marriage. With her artistic bent, and something of a free-spirit, she harbors feelings that perhaps -- just perhaps -- she married beneath her station. A consequence of her frustration is that she succeeds in pulling Homer/Sonny over to her side, resulting in a more-or-less permanent rift with the father. It is also interesting to speculate what other personality traits may have resulted from Homer's closeness to his mother. Homer appears to have a penchant for being attracted to girls that give him conflicting signals - somewhat in the manner of Lucy of the famous comic strip, they entice him, only to pull the ball away at the very last second. Homer is also attracted to an "older" woman (though she is only in her early twenties), his science teacher, Freida Riley.

Although Homer appears to fear and hate everything about mining, some of the most spellbinding moments are excursions into the mine. His favorite science teacher would not, however, approve of the chemistry in the book, which contains several mistakes.

I began by characterizing "Rocket Boys" as part "Angela's Ashes" and part "I Aim for the Stars". In retrospect, is little doubt that "I Aim for the Stars" constitutes the minor component. Although much of the book details the design and building of rockets, Homer's fascination with rocketry and Werner von Braun appears to be mostly motivated by this "ticket out of Coalwood." The epilogue to the book reinforces this. After some delays, Homer Hickam does indeed go to work for NASA, and enjoys a successful career. But sadly, no speculations appear in the book regarding man's role in the cosmos - the "extraterrestrial imperative" Krafft Ehricke called it - nor did any subsequent books on astrodynamics or space theory emerge.

The author produced a sequel "Coalwood Ways." Published only two years later, it covers much the same territory, but has a very different flavor. It concentrates on interpersonal relations, and is much "sweeter" in its outlook than its precursor. It gives the appearance that the author underwent some personal event between the two books which changed his outlook. A film, titled "October Sky," was made based on "Rocket Boys." It has a different flavor yet. "Rocket Boys" is a fine book, and after all is said and done, it would appear that Homer Hickam's true calling is writer.

THE EXPERIMENTS DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK ARE VERY DANGEROUS AND SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTED.

Loved this book. Was on the last chapter when I threw October Sky into my Netflix queue; Hoping I'd have it in hand when the book was finished. Timing was perfect. As usual, the book eclipses the movie, but both are great. Passing it onto my 10 year old son who already has aspirations of going into the sciences. Enjoy!

Was purchased due to a requirement by my childs school. He has informed me it is a good book.

Homer Hickam grew up in a rural isolated mountain town but went on to win the National Science Fair.

This book is his story and how he was successful.

I bought 24 copies of this book to inspire my advanced 6th grade Reading class. They loved the book. In our discussions they mentioned never giving up. Homer and his friends kept trying until they had success.

Thank you for sharing your life with us, Mr. Hickam.

... "On June 4, 1960, the Big Creek Missile Agency, fresh from its medal winning performance at the National Science Fair, is sponsoring a day of rocket launches at its Cape Coalwood range. Everyone reading these words is invited..." This quote can be found on page 356-357 of a book called Rocket Boys; this statement showed me that the success of the main characters was a result of personal hard work and teamwork.

"Rocket Boys" by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. is a nonfiction account of a group of friends from Coalwood, West Virginia in the early 1960's who have a fetish for making rockets. Homer and his friends have a dream to shoot a rocket up into the clouds. This story gives the reader a message that dreams really can come true.

Rocket Boys is one of the strongest books I have ever read. The author accomplished his goals to tell people that team work is one of the most important things to know in your life. This book is recommended for people that like space and rockets and who want a hopeful book to read. Reading Rocket Boys really gets you thinking about team work and how far you can get with it.

I was a little disappointed by the ending and the fact that Homer Hickam gave John Kennedy the idea to go to the Moon but other than that I couldn't help but root for the band of misfits.

I bought this book and the audio tapes and my son and I listened and read this amazing book together. Our plan was to read for 30 minutes a night...however it was sooooooo good we listened and read for 5 hours!

We are now going to rent the movie that was made from the film! All systems go....we enjoyed the adventure!

Children in West Virginia mining towns became coal miners. They did not become rocket scientists. But it did not matter how well-known this was, for Homer "Sonny" Hickam, Jr. there was only one way out. He was the right age and had the right amount of ambition when the United States and Russia became entangled in the Space Race and as far as he was concerned, his fate was sealed.

Hickam's writing carried the comfort of conversation with an old friend. It was remarkable how easily I became nostalgic for neither a time nor a place that I had ever known. The story drips with the passion of a man who if he had to do it all over again, probably wouldn't change a thing. He understood and appreciated the importance of everything that happened to him and helped him on his way.

One thing that I found particularly fascinating was how closely this book resembled the old proverb that It takes a whole village to raise a child. And I mean no disrespect to Mr. Hickam when I point out how amazing his circumstance was in that he could not have done it alone. The stars seemingly aligned perfectly so that one boy from West Virginia could capture the hearts of so many people that he would be able to get such invaluable assistance. There was probably no way anyone else could have done what he did. And that is to his credit. (The way his path was guided by fate, or something like it, reminded me of how Ruth Reichl became a food critic in Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table.)

I loved this book for Hickam's ability to transport me from my favorite reading chair to a West Virginia high school in the late 50s. I found myself hanging on every word wondering what would happen next. There is something special about an intelligently written story about a successful man who takes no credit for himself, but rather gives it to each person who helped him make his dreams come true. Rocket Boys may now find itself among the short list of my favorite books.

Just finished this book at 3:00am last night and the only negative comment I have is "why did it have to end?". I saw October Sky a few years ago and it was an exceptional movie - don't make the rash judgment I almost made in thinking that the book would probably not be be better than the movie because it is much, much better. It has only been a day since I've finished it but I'm still warmed by it and would have to put in into my top 10 all time greatest books. I was born in 1949 in a small upstate NY town and lived the fear generated by Sputnik. I think Homer would agree with me that, as tough as it was growing up then, it was the closest thing to heaven on earth as one could be. Wish I could go back.

This book is the 2008 One Siouxland/One Book selection.(That's Sioux City, IA and surroundings) and it is a briliant choice. I have always been fascinated by people who can concentrate on one thing and see it through. This is a story about that and much more. I was delightedly surprised that this is so well written. Often you can see the "seams" in amateur writing, but not in this. The book is stuffed with themes, unrequited love, father/son, brother/brother, mother/son, unrequited love, jocks/nerds, small town/big dreams, corporation/individual, union/corporation, I could go on. Yet, it never seems thin. The only problem I had with the book was that events seemed to happen in clusters. This made it read like fiction, but I doubt it happened that way in real life. This is memoir rather than autobiography and I allow the writer to take liberties. I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to discussing it with others. I doubt I would have found this book if the committee hadn't chosen it.

I loved this story about boys from a West Virginia coal mining town who decide to join the space race after the Russian launching of sputnik sparks their imaginations. Hickam artfully portrays a great cast of characters in the small town of Coalwood as the boys go from being the town nuisance to its pride and joy. This is not a sleepy little town, mining troubles, family drama, school issues and exploding rockets keep the interest level high throughout. Even a bus ride to school is eventful in this page turning memoir. I would also say that this is a great book for middle school and up as it shows the importance of education in achieving your dreams and makes an effortless history lesson of the 1950's as well. One of my top favorites.

I saw the movie "October Sky" several times prior to reading the book "Rocket Boys." As much as I enjoyed the movie, I enjoyed book even more. The best thing about the book is that it allows us to see Homer Hickam's doubts during his years as a Rocket Boy. I appreciate Mr. Hickam sharing his story in this memoir.

Books like this don't come around often. It's a class act. The real deal. Uplifting, heartwarming, endearing, nostalgic, triumphant, and inspirational. It makes you laugh, it brings you to tears. You love the characters and sadly, when it ends, you miss them. The best part is that it is a true story. There is no wonder why, after over 500 reviews, this book averages 5 stars. To me this story represented all that is great about America: Family and community, dreams and goals, hardwork and creativity, perseverance and dedication, friendships, dedicated teachers and role models. If you are tired of reading oprahfied books that deal with tragedy, dysfunction, addiction, and abuse, do yourself a favor and read this book. It will show you who the REAL heroes are. It will uplift you and remind you of all that is truly great. It will also remind you that this greatness can come anywhere, to anyone, rich or poor. To have a dream and to "go for it" is what America is all about and what is exemplified in this book. This has become one of my all time favorites.

Rocket boys is based on a true story. This book is by Homer Hick ham. The book is basically about a group of friends with the dream of a life time. They very much want to achieve there goal. This book is about perseverance,corage,and imagination. I recommend this book strongly to almost any one between 9th grade and up. It was a book that you could not put down Once you started reading , it draws your attention. It is about a man named Homer Hick ham (Author and also the main character). Him and his buddies who they call "the rocket boys" get very interested in rockets. One big thing that inspired the world and not only them was the Russians launch of the space station called Sputnik. After this ,Sonny (homer) decides to make a rocket. He had a lot of troubles building this. A lot of people thought he was up to no good . In the book one big thing is that he needed to get his dads approval . He got help by a lot of friends like his friend Quinton he gave them materials to help them make the rockets. Also there teacher Miss Riley was very eager to help him in there dream. Homer even had his own spot for setting off rockets and eventually people started to come to see these rockets set off, many people were becoming interested. They came and cheered them on everyday. In this book one quote you could say that could fit is "If you don't succeed try and try again". Like when he first started launching his rocket. It just went up and sizzled down to the ground. After a while it did amazing. In fact one of there farthest rocket launch was like fifteen thousand feet. They won tons of things with there rockets. Like the school science fair. After he got invited to the "nationals". But then he found he was missing . But of coarse the people of the little town of coal wood in west Virginia found what he needed for the display. So they won first place in the nationals. This book was very inspiring to me. There was also a lot of good information in it. The book was about overcoming challenges and own personal goals.

Rocket boys is based on a true story. This book is by Homer Hick ham. The book is basically about a group of friends with the dream of a life time. They very much want to achieve there goal. This book is about perseverance,corage,and imagination. I recommend this book strongly to almost any one between 9th grade and up. It was a book that you could not put down Once you started reading , it draws your attention. It is about a man named Homer Hick ham (Author and also the main character). Him and his buddies who they call "the rocket boys" get very interested in rockets. One big thing that inspired the world and not only them was the Russians launch of the space station called Sputnik. After this ,Sonny (homer) decides to make a rocket. He had a lot of troubles building this. A lot of people thought he was up to no good . In the book one big thing is that he needed to get his dads approval . He got help by a lot of friends like his friend Quinton he gave them materials to help them make the rockets. Also there teacher Miss Riley was very eager to help him in there dream. Homer even had his own spot for setting off rockets and eventually people started to come to see these rockets set off, many people were becoming interested. They came and cheered them on everyday. In this book one quote you could say that could fit is "If you don't succeed try and try again". Like when he first started launching his rocket. It just went up and sizzled down to the ground. After a while it did amazing. In fact one of there farthest rocket launch was like fifteen thousand feet. They won tons of things with there rockets. Like the school science fair. After he got invited to the "nationals". But then he found he was missing . But of coarse the people of the little town of coal wood in west Virginia found what he needed for the display. So they won first place in the nationals. This book was very inspiring to me. There was also a lot of good information in it. The book was about overcoming challenges and own personal goals.

Imagine being stuck in a town that only pulls you into its business. But somehow 4 boys made it out of the town. This is a novel about a dreamer who inspired others. Homer Hickam lives in the West Virginian town of Coalwood; Coalwood is a coal mining town that is dying. One day Homer Hickam sees the legendary Sputnik fly into space and then he realizes that his dream is to one day be in a rocket going into the vastness of space. To help him with his dream he wants to build homemade rockets. With some help from some other dreamers. Homer wanted to be just like his hero Dr. Wernher von Braun who was scientist who builds rockets for NASA. Homer and his 3 friends are able to build wonderful rockets that the town enjoys. They copied NASA and built Cape Coalwood, Cape Coalwood is a flat area on a mountain where there was a little shack. But there are some problems that get in the way of their dream. Homer's father is a coal mining hero, so when Homer decides that he doesn't want to be a miner, his father gets mad. The Rocket Boys have also been accused of starting fires, and ruining the company supplies. But in winning the National Science Fair the boys achieve their dream and Homer gets to meet his hero, Dr. von Braun.
This was an excellent book. The book was well written and easy to follow. This is a book where you can learn about science and enjoy it. The book is good for all ages.
I would recommend this book to people who are dreamers. This is a book for anyone who had a dream to learn about traveling into space.

This book was very interesting. It was a book that was not only scientific it was a very good biography. Homer Hickam Jr. had a very interesting and succesful life as he went on to NASA. In his life he started out with a life almost destined to work in the coal mines of coalwood. As soon as him and his two friends saw Sputnik launch they were determined to launch rockets. They though it was really cool. At first they ruined Homer Hickam's mother's fence but they soon moved to a new launch site. They went through many different rocket fuels that they kept improving.They also improved the shape of their rocket and the nozzel. People tried to stop them they said they started fires but they proved differently. As they went on they met Quentin who was concidered a nerd. They also got a new teacher, Miss Riley. She supported them 100%. They went to a science fair and won and got sent to Nationals where Homer's desires were discovered by many. Homer's dad had cancer but Homer didn't let that stop him. He kept goin and was very successful in life.

This was a very well written novel. It wasn't hard to come up with ideas because it was a biography but he used very descriptive words an he used excelent literary techniques. He lived an excelent life full of downs and ups. He was very succesful in the end and it was a very exciting life.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes a great story. It is very scientific but it is also an awesome story. This book is for almost any age who can read. I loved this book and I am sure anyone else who even read one chapter would think it was absolutly awesome too.

According to Hickam's website, many, many schools study this book and often the students are assigned to put their reviews on sites such as this one. Many are excellent but others are simplistic and some are based on the movie October Sky and not the book. I can usually tell because the movie is so different from the book. The movie-watchers give themselves away. They call the boy narrator Homer (he's Sonny in the book), they write about four boys, rather than the six there actually were, and they misspell his name (Hickam, not Hickman). They also write about scholarships won by the boys when that didn't actually happen. What really happened was much better. They also write about the town as if it was a nasty place while Hickam writes about it lovingly and is obviously grateful that he grew up there. He wrote three more memoirs about life there so I guess that's obvious. Interestingly, he's never written about his days at NASA. Telling the story of Coalwood was more important to him.

I grew up in a coal town similar to Coalwood, West Virginia. What this book really is about is life in a coal town back in the 1950's in the mountains. This way of life is all gone now but it was a vital part of our history and must not be forgotten. It is to be savored. Read Hickam's prose, then read one today's best-sellers and you will be amazed at the difference. His writing literally takes you to a different place and time. You become part of Coalwood, you care about its people, and at the end, you feel as if you grew up there. Not too many books can do this.

I do hope these students will read this book (probably their teacher is going to give them a bad grade). For those students who wrote a review who obviously read the book, I say bravo and keep up the good work!

Rocket Boys by Homer Hickman Jr. Is about an inspired teenage boy named Homer who wants to live his dream of being a rocket scientist. His father wishes he would follow him and become a miner for their small town like himself. Homer disagrees with him. After attending the Russian spacecraft Sputnik with his friends is when he decides what he wants to do. At first his father doesn't support him with his idea, but soon Homer gained support by many different people.
Homer lives in a small town in West Virginia called Coalwood. When him and his friends begin making and launching rockets, some people support them when others accuse them of creating forest fires. No matter how many people didn't have faith in them, they never gave up. While studying rockets they thought themselfs calculus. This was to calculate how high and wide the rockets flew. In the beginning they we were weak, they weren't put together right. Once homer and his friends kept on trying they began to launch rockets up to 15,000 feet. Sometimes they would fail, but they never gave up. They began to call themselves, the Rocket Boys.
The Rocket Boys began to enter tournaments for their rockets. They started at their school science fair. They got in first place. Homer continues onto the Nationals. In the nationals Homer got help from the town's people when he lost one of his materials for his rocket. The people got him the material in time for him to compete, and he won first place.
This book was inspiring but long I gained interest from it because of the movie "October Sky". I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys people reaching their dreams and success. This book is about a teenage boy, with problems with girls, friends, school, family, but most of all, rockets.

The novel, October Sky, by Homer H. Hickam Jr. is an intriguing novel about a group of boys in the 1950's who become interested in astronomy and go on to build and launch many rockets. Inspired by the launch of Sputnik by the Russians, Homer Hickam Jr. and his four friends, Sherman, Roy-Lee, O'Dell and Quentin from the small town of Coalwood in West Virginia , work together to build rockets with some scrap from the company mine. With the support of the boys' chemistry teacher, Miss Riley, the machinists of Coalwood, and a few citizens, the "rocket boys" eventually fire their last rocket, Auk XXXI, and it travels 6 miles into the sky. Homer's father and many of the citizens of Coalwood never supported the boys and their interest, but at the last public launching, Mr. Hickam comes and shows his appreciation for his son and all his hard work.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. Once I picked up the book, it was hard to put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone, because it is an inspiring success story for all to enjoy.

Rocket Boys is a novel based on a true story about a courageous group of young men who choose to chase their dream....the sky was the limit. Homer Hickman, the author and main character, chronicles the determination of these young men as they break out of the mold set for them. Sonny, nickname for Homer, grows up in a small town in West Virginia called Coalwood. As you can infer from the name of the town, mining is a way of life there. Although Sonny's father is a bigwig in the mines, Sonny's mom wants something more for her son...something better.
The Russians launch of the space station, Sputhik, grabs the interest of the entire world and more importantly, the interest of Sonny. He decides he will build a rocket. The townspeople think he is crazy. His dad is very upset with his ideas. Still Sonny preservers. Sonny and his friends try to get the materials they need to build the rocket. They realize they need some help in the invention process. Sonny hooks up with a very intelligent boy named Quentin.The group work together to do whatever it takes to follow their dream. Miss Riley, The boys' chemistry teacher is very supportive and supplies them with lots of helpful books and information. The townspeople finally come around and back the boys endeavor. The boys had to overcome many obstacles but they stuck with it and were successful. Sonny went on to become an engineer and work with the NASA program.
The book was an excellent read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading a good story. It was very inspiring. There are a lot of interesting facts and information included in the book. The writing was well done. You could picture the boys' turmoil and determination. The fact that it is a true story made the book all the more enjoyable. It made me want to go out and build something!

Rocket Boys (AKA October Sky) by Homer H. Hickam Jr. the memoir is an incredible book that I recommend to you. It is a story about the true life of a teenaged boy who wants to follow his dreams, but at the same time he does not want to let his parents down. Homer Hickam also known as Sonny is the son of a miner superintendent from Coalwood West Virginia. Sonny and his friends see the Russian spacecraft Sputnik and decide that they to want to build rockets. They call themselves the rocket boys. They build thirty-one rockets all together in a span of three years. The boys taught themselves calculus to figure out how high the rockets fly and build themselves a launch pad along with a blockhouse to launch their rockets on. They had the help of many of the town's people to make their fantasies a reality. They had many successes and many failures that brought their friendship closer. The Rockets get the boys into the county science fair then the state science fair then the national science fair. The book follows their high school years and tells about their first loves, grades, new friends, and their role models; Miss. Riley and Dr. Von Braun.
I would recommend this book to people of all ages. It is a long book, but the storyline flows very well, which makes it a fairly easy read. If you are looking for either a good story to read or you want to know the facts this book is for you. The story is very exciting and never gets dull. As you follow the characters through their journey of life, through the good times and the bad you feel as if you are part of it all. The writer really grabs you and makes you want to continue reading.